Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Meet the top 5 emerging batters poised to make a big impact in India’s premier domestic tournament.
The 91st edition of the Ranji Trophy began on October 15, with 32 teams vying for Indian domestic cricket’s biggest prize. Six teams are competing for the Plate Championship, with overall 38 teams featuring in the competition. It’s the best platform for the youngsters to showcase their talent and leave a mark against quality opponents.
India’s senior Test side is slowly moving into the transition phase. Several veteran players, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Cheteshwar Pujara, retired from the longest format in a span of just six months. The senior players’ departure has offered the opportunity for the younger players to rise to prominence through the sheer dint of performance.
Let’s take a look at the top five youngsters to watch out for in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
C Andre Siddarth (Tamil Nadu)
The last domestic season was one full of highs for Tamil Nadu’s 19-year-old, C Andre Siddarth. In his maiden Ranji Trophy edition, he played a key role in their run to the knockouts. The right-handed batter was Tamil Nadu’s second-highest run-getter of the previous edition with 612 runs in 12 innings.
At 18, he became the second-youngest player, behind Vaibhav Suryavanshi, to be picked in the IPL 2025 auction; he earned a deal with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With Tamil Nadu’s experienced campaigner, Vijay Shankar, moving to Tripura, Siddarth has been entrusted with more responsibility at number four this season.
He also featured for South Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy 2025. In his only encounter against the Central Zone, Siddarth remained unbeaten on 84 runs in South Zone’s second innings. Throughout the knock, he displayed the gears and temperament to tailor his batting according to the situation in red-ball games.
Siddarth was the lone impressive member for Tamil Nadu’s opening game of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 against Jharkhand. With Tamil Nadu following on, he timed a steady knock of 80 runs at a strike rate of 44.44 in the second innings. He will aim to repeat last season’s heroics with the bat in this edition.
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Ayush Mhatre (Mumbai)
Ayush Mhatre is the latest from Mumbai’s production line of promising youngsters. Since making his first-class debut in the Irani Cup 2024, he has collected 545 runs in 18 innings at an average of 30.27. He scored two centuries during the Under-19 red-ball trip to England. In Beckenham, Mhatre smashed 102 in the first innings, backing it up with 126 in Chelmsford.
However, since then, it has gone flat for the opening batter. In the last two Youth Tests against Australia down under, the 18-year-old struggled with 38 runs in three innings. Even in the opening Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar, Mhatre returned scores of 28 and 13.
He also got a chance to feature for CSK in the IPL 2025. The right-handed batter is strong on the pull shot. He also seems to be comfortable on both front and back foot with gorgeous drives and confident cuts. For the rest of this Ranji season, he will look to end his drought of runs.
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Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar)
Young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi enjoyed a breakthrough season in IPL 2025 for the Rajasthan Royals. He recorded 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55 with the best score of 101. This hundred was the fastest by an Indian batter in IPL history.
Suryavashi, however, doesn’t have an inspiring first-class record so far in his career. The left-handed batter has bagged only 114 runs in 11 innings at an average of just over 10. He hasn’t registered a single fifty in FC cricket yet.
Last year in Chennai, the southpaw scored the fastest Youth Test hundred against Australia U-19 at home. His 104-run knock of 62 balls was laced with 14 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 167.74.
In September, 2025, against the same opponent, Suryavanshi smashed 113 runs in 86 balls. That century in Brisbane showed how brutal he could be in the longest format, even in challenging conditions. It’s the right time for him to find consistency against the red-ball, and this Ranji Trophy 2025-26 will be a great platform for that.
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Ayush Doseja (Delhi)
When Ayush Doseja turned 15, he gave up eating sweets and carbohydrates to follow a strict diet plan. Just like a true Kohli fan, he left no stone unturned to emulate his idol. His coach, Ajay Choudhary, was worried about the teenager not receiving the required nourishment. That was when he advised Doseja to eat fruits as a source of sugar at least.
On Day 2, during Delhi’s Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash against Hyderabad, all the years of hard work paid off. The 23-year-old, on his FC debut, smashed 209 in the first innings at a strike rate of 74.91.
“I have been preparing for so many years. I am fortunate that I have a great support system in my family and coaches, and that has helped me do well. I want to do well in all three formats,” Doseja said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
He was in line to make his Ranji debut last season, but he twisted his ankle during a training session. Otherwise, he may well have been in the team when Kohli played against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Doseja should now aim to continue his growth with the bat, just like his idol.
Priyansh Arya (Delhi)
Priyansh Arya got his maiden call-up to Delhi’s 24-member Ranji Trophy 2025-26 squad. But, he didn’t play the opening round against Hyderabad. There is a slight chance for him to make his debut in the second round against Himachal Pradesh.
Arya had an impressive IPL this year with the Punjab Kings, where he scored 475 runs in his debut season. He was also part of the India A team that faced Australia A in an unofficial ODI series in September, 2025, and made a century in the opening clash.
Arya has displayed his incredible timing and free-flowing batting in the shortest format. Now, it’s time for him to crack the first-class code whenever he gets the first opportunity.
After the first round of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Rajasthan, Services, Goa, and Vidarbha are the toppers of their respective groups. The second round of the event will begin on October 25, 2025.
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